Demimortal
by Simply Seth
Summary: In which someone else joins the conflict.
1. Prologue: Stricken

_Author's Notes: _

Phew… I haven't done this in a while. For those of you that are reading this, my other story, The Fallen, is on hiatus, as you should know. I do intend to finish that story eventually, for better or worse. Just not now. Eventually, though. I assure you, it will most likely happen. For now, though, I'm going to try something a bit different; an insert of my OC from The Fallen, the Angel Satuxim Umbra, into the story of the game Iji. It's going to be a rocky road for everyone involved in the story, including me, depending on whether or not I feel up to finishing the entire thing. I've no real schedule for uploading this; I'll simply make chapters when I feel like it, basically. So, I suppose the obligatory thing to say here would be 'Let's get this thing started.'

_Disclaimer_:

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal _

_Prologue: Stricken _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: All That Can Wait _

To say it was a nice day outside would have been a tad of an understatement. Though it was just a little cold and a little windy (Though, that may've just been the ocean's breeze…) it was still sunny and, perhaps more importantly, _warm_ enough to take a pleasant walk outside; that was what a family of four were doing at this moment. A man and his three kids, two girls and a boy, were taking a walk to their father's work place. It was a sort of 'Bring Your Daughter to Work Day' as it currently were, except boys were not exempt from it. Not this time, at least. The reason they were walking instead of taking the car, besides saving gas money, of course, is that, again, is was a pleasant day out, and they would have more time to talk. 'Bonding Time', as it's usually called.

Now, the place that they were heading for, the D.C.M.F.P.R Research Facility, which, though none of the kids knew what the abbreviation stood for, researched various advanced technologies, especially in the fields of Nanotechnology and, to a slightly lesser extent, medicine. It was a very large, looming building, almost three miles by three miles and almost a hundred feet tall, extending from the end of town all the way to the nearby ocean, and that's not even taking into account of the many underground bunkers that lay beneath it.

The family traveling to the Facility itself all seemed to take after their father in some form or another, the hair and its color in particular. The father, a man looking to be in his mid-forties, had a pair of glasses on, with a white long-sleeve shirt and some gray pants. The little girl had a blue dress on, with pink straps to keep it in place. The boy, looking to be a teenager, had some borderline black hair, a green tee-shirt, and some blue jeans on, as well as a black necklace around his neck, an accessory dangling at the end of it. And, lastly, the tallest of them, the young woman had a grey long-sleeve shirt with a cyan stripe going across the chest-area, and some black jeans with two pockets on each side. Her hair was long, flowing, and brown. Her hand noticeably never left what was evidently her little sisters' own.

Upon arriving and entering, eh recipient bowed and greeted them, saying that they could explore around this section of the building. They saw many interesting things, said things including an atom smasher, particle analyzer, and a 'particle beam'. Whatever that is. Other people, mostly scientists and the occasional other tourist, were hustling and bustling to get things done in their schedule. Among these tourists was a very peculiar-looking man; he wore a pair of dark sunglasses, and some _very_ old looking clothes; a snow-white tabard with some sort of insignia over it; a stark-black cloth, stretching from both of his shoulders down to between his legs, narrowing in the process, and what appeared to be the symbol for Pluto over it, which was more gray than black. What was one his feet appeared to be some boots, the same shade of black as the cloth, though no treads appeared to be on it, only cloth. Why he wore any of this stuff, nobody in the building knew. Perhaps what was most strange about him, however, was his somewhat-shaggy jet-black hair that stretched all the way down to his waist. It also ended in two white bangs on both sides of his face.

His eyes scanned what appeared to be a large ray-gun, probably used to atomize things, before growing bored of observing the apparatus before him, and moved over to glance at the other people in the building. His eyes eventually settled on the tallest girl in the aforementioned family, and, suddenly, his face contorted to form a large grin, almost a smirk, in fact. He then meandered over to one of the nearby windows, his smile still there. The girl noticed his stare, and could have sworn she's seen two orbs of _red_ beneath his sunglasses. Unnerved a little by this, she tried to ignore the man she was, and continued on with her group.

Curious as to why he had shifted from glancing at her to one of the glass panes, however, she went to a different one herself, and also looked outside. Suddenly, blotches of white began to appear in the sky, all near each-other. Her eyes widened at this, and then quickly narrowed, attempting to figure out just _what the Hell_ those things were, before a sea of white engulfed the area outside, followed by a truly enormous _**bang**_. Her vision suddenly faded, and she blacked out…

The man's grin just grew ever larger at the sight.


	2. Chapter 1: Awaken

_Author's Notes: _

Well, first chapter's off the ground. Gods knows how many left to type up. I'd say… around twenty? Twenty-five? Probably somewhere around there. We'll see how long this story will last. Now, besides that, I'm wondering how much attention this will garner… Meh. Probably not much, all things considering. Not that I really care, I just wanted to make this happen.

_Disclaimer:_

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 1: Awaken _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: Glass Soldier_

"Alright… We're done." "Are you sure we should do this? What if she malfunctions, or dies? I want another week to make sure." "I don't think we _got_ another week. We've wasted months enough." "What good will it do if we can't perfect her? They have an _army_, and we have a potential soldier _at best_. Even with that gun we found-!" "Look. As long as we can do something, it's better than nothing at all. I'd rather see her alive again at least once before we die." "_Hm. _Like she'd make that much of a difference." "Stop bickering already. Should we wake her up or not?" "… Yes. Yes, of course… there. Now, first we should check mental stability, sensory response and… Wait, what's that noise?" "What's wrong?" "Oh no… _Everyone, to the safe room!" "TOO LATE! THE TAS- AAAAAH!"_

A sudden jolt of awareness; Eyes flickering open, she slowly propped herself up on the bed. "Uhn…" Glancing around, and seeing no-one there, she called out, "Hello?" No response. "… Dad? Mia?" Still no response. Grabbing the sheet and pulling it off of her, she got up, stretching a bit in the process, and walked over to the door. Glancing out the window, what she saw horrified her;

_Iji Soundtrack: Hade Shade_

Three dead bodies, most-likely of some scientists, were laid out on the floor, blood seeping out of what were evidently bullet wounds. What appeared to be _aliens_ were prodding said bodies, probably to check whether or not they were actually dead. The girl, harrowed by this sight, put a hand over her mouth, gagging in disgust, before backing away, shocked. A speaker in the room spoke, rather surprisingly, "Iji!" She looked over to the com, startled. "Calm down. It's me, Dan. I'm in a control room in the middle of this complex, but I can see you through the cameras. There's a _lot_ to explain." A look of relief briefly struck her features, before remembering the situation she was in, and then quickly shifted back to fear, now mixed with a cautious curiosity, and then spoke out, "Bro!? Can you hear me?" The com spoke back. "Keep your voice down! Yes, there are microphones in these speakers, but your shouldn't talk or the Tasen could hear you. I can talk as much as I want – I talk through all the speakers at once, and I don't think they understand any human languages."

"As far as I can tell, we were all visiting this place with dad," Iji nodded in affirmation at this, "as he works here. All of a sudden, and alien spaceship bombarded the area around this place with a space-to-ground weapon called an Alpha Strike… Then they came down and killed nearly everyone inside. That's why I'm stuck in this control room. They're called the Tasen, and I don't know why they invaded this complex or if it's possible to make them leave, but I'm trying to find out – and I need your help to do it." Shock marred her features once again, and she said, in disbelief, "Y-Your lying! That's-!" "Calm down, and listen. It's been six months since the Tasen invaded this place. Since then, a team of researchers trapped in here tried to study their Nanotechnology, to find a way to stop them. They managed to make a cyborg soldier out of the only suitable survivor they could find, using the Tasens' Nanotechnology. _You_ are that soldier."

Again, in disbelief, she said, "N-No! Y-You're just making this up! It's just a dream, isn't it!?" She began clutching her head, feeling a migraine coming on to her. "Iji! Calm down!" "_NO_! _I_…!" "_IJI!_"

_Iji Soundtrack: All that Can Wait _

Dan groaned in frustration. "Iji, we've been over this a hundred times now. You have to trust me and head out there – Your only other option is to stay locked in that room and _die_." Iji simply stayed in the make-shift bed, hands over her chest. She clearly felt like crying. "I know." "Your goal is to talk to one of the Tasen leaders, and convince them to take their spaceship and leave." Iji sighed softly. "But… Why hasn't anybody done something about them? Hasn't the rest of the world noticed what's going on here…?" "I think we'll have to take this one step at a time. You _really _have to get going soon, or the Tasen will find you." She closed her eyes, and said, "Okay… But, can I sit here for a little while? I… I think I need time to think…" Dan stayed silent for a moment, then responded, "Fine. But you'll only get those couple of minutes. When you get up, pick up that gun on the floor. It's a very special Tasen Nanogun. Learn to use it, and guard it with your life. After that, you have to follow every word I say, down to the letter. Okay?" Again, she sighed softly. "Okay. I… I guess I'll try…" The speaker then turned off, leaving Iji to her thoughts.

_ How could this happen? Aliens? Everyone dying? … Dad? Even Mia?_ A lapse of silence, and then, _Why me?_ A hand suddenly clasped her shoulder, and she sprang up, startled. Turning towards the potential threat, she was very surprised at what she saw. _That man…!_ "Y-You again?" Said man quickly backed away. "… Yes. Me again. Sorry for startling you, I just had to get your attention." She, again, was rather startled, and asked, "W-Who are you!? And how did you get in here!?" The man stayed silent at this, probably contemplating his answer, before saying, "… Maybe I'll show you. Well, actually, not maybe. I can just about guarantee I'll show you later, that'll be inevitable. So… Hm. Why not show you now I see no reason not to." Suddenly, the speakers re-activated, before Dan's voice spoke out again, "Iji! Who is tha-!?" A sudden flash of darkness, and the speaker was turned off, as was the camera in the corner of the room. "I'm sorry about this, but it's prudent that your brother not see this. It's for your eyes only." The man then reached up to his face, and took off his sunglasses…


	3. Chapter 2: Stranger Danger

_Author's Notes: _

Just gunning these chapters out one after the other, aren't I? Les'see how long I can keep this up for, I'm still feelin' the hype of creation…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 2: Stranger Danger _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: Hade Shade_

Two glowing ruby orbs stared back at her. Raven-black wings sprouted from his back, and pointed ears were suddenly visible from his head. Little fangs glistened in the light when he grinned. Understandably, the young woman was now mildly frightened. Reaching for the Nanogun on the floor, she abruptly discovered that it was now in his grasp. "Hey, now, I may look a bit intimidating, but that's no reason so shoot me on sight, now is it?" he inquired, a small smirk now present on his face. "An interesting gun you have here… I wonder what happens if I–" A sudden _**bang**_rang out, and the wall he was looking at now had multiple holes in it. "-pull the trigger. A Shotgun, hmm?" The girl began to slowly back away, growing more scared by the second. "Hhh! _W-what_ _are you_!?"

His smirk simply grew wider. "Well, that's rather rude. Asking _what_ I am rather than who I am, I mean. Now let me try to alleviate the tension a little bit; let's start over, here." He put the Nanogun on the bed. "Hello there, young lady. May I have the pleasure of your name?" She still looked _quite_ apprehensive, and didn't say a word. "Oh, take your time. I have all of it in the world. But, are you going to keep your brother waiting? Let's get on with it, already. _Your name_?" He said, a little forceful this time. She put a frown on her face, but, seeing no other option, again, she answered, "… Iji. Iji Kataiser." "Good, you made the logical decision. Well, _I_ am Satuxim Umbra, Angel, dimension hopper and, perhaps most importantly," he suddenly vanished, reappearing behind Iji and grabbing her shoulder again, "a dark sage of great renown. I'm basically just another alien, except not a member of the Tasen race. Oh, and far more powerful, of course." She spun around, seeing him bow, one hand over his waist, the other over his back, and he also said, "A pleasure." Iji merely gasped in surprise, and, not thinking, reached over for her new Nanogun pointed it at the now-named Satuxim, and pulled the trigger.

"Well, again, that was rather rude." He abruptly appeared in front of her, her wrist in his hand, and he pulled the Nanogun from her grip, then backed off a couple of steps. She gaped in surprise. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding and making a bad first impression at the same time, but, really, I can't help it. I'm just being myself, after all. Now, calm down, as your brother told you. Are you going to try and save him, or not? I can assist, you know." She began sweating profusely, extremely nervous, but, yet again, she had no choice but to say yes. "Good. We're _finally _getting somewhere. Now, I'm going to run ahead, and report back with any interesting news I find. Be back in a moment…" He said, opening the door and walking out, not really waiting for any sort of response.

Iji let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and slumped down on the floor in surprise. The speakers came to life again, and Dan's voice spoke through it, "Sis! Who the _Hell_ was that!?" Iji merely shook her head, and said, "I don't know, bro. I don't know. I'm just glad that he's gone." She then realized something, and looked over at a crate in the room, noticing the Nanogun was there. "Woah, actually, wait… He left the gun in here. What's he going to defend himself with…?" she asked herself, a tad concerned, even though she didn't really like him. She wouldn't intentionally harm a person, after all, be it human, or alien. Then she came to an epiphany. "Oh, God, I could've killed him with that…!" She clutched her head, trying to calm herself. Needless to say, it wasn't working.

Satuxim exited the door, and took a right, towards the door that was glowing pink. "Hmm… The pink stuff must be the Nanotechnology so I've been hearing so much about." Satuxim tried touching the door, but quickly recoiled back. It hurt. A _lot_. "Argh! Gods _damn it_ that hurt!" he exclaimed almost yelling, holding his hand in pain. Just to try again, and ignore all common sense, Satuxim tried tapping the door with one of his feet. For some reason, it didn't sting this time. "Ah. Must affect only bare skin…" He tried kicking it down. That, almost surprisingly, worked pretty well. "Well, that was a rather… _delicate_ door, I suppose." He then walked through the rubble that he formed, and noticed three dead bodies. It didn't deter him, however, and he kept on walking. He eventually came by a little contraption, though he had no idea how to operate it, so he just walked it by. He found two more, and a Poster at the end of the room, as well as another one of those contraptions. He immediately figured out who the four people on it were. Without even a word to himself, he began walking back towards Iji's room.

A knock on the door roused Iji from her thoughts, and, walking cautiously over to the glass, saw Satuxim knocking. She twisted the knob, letting him in. "… Iji. You might wanna take a look at what I found. Follow me." he said in a tone that implied that is was less of a request, and more of a demand. "Don't follow him, sis! You don't know what he's trying to-!" Satuxim glared at the camera in the room. Dan shuddered in his control room, even though he knew Satuxim was several miles away. "… Fine. But don't you _dare _hurt or, or I'll...!" "You can try to kill me, yes. But I can guarantee that you'll be the one to die first." Both Dan and Iji inwardly shuddered, knowing that he would most-likely follow through on what he said in some way or another if Dan tried anything. Needless to say, they both shut up at this.

Iji shakily followed Satuxim through the corridor going to the right, not saying a word. Satuxim didn't, either. It was about a five minute walk, and when they arrived, Iji almost got the temptation to gag again. They were the bodies of those scientists, evidently dragged of by some Tasen so they didn't get in the way of anything that they were planning later on. Blood-stains covered the floor, and insects were hopping about to get as much food as possible. Iji bent down, tentatively, and touched her fingers to a body's neck. "H… He's not breathing… And no pulse…" Again, she almost felt like breaking down and crying on the spot. Satuxim, seeing this, put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and pulled her into a hug. Iji, despite hardly knowing the Angel for twenty minutes, wept into his shoulder, grateful for the comfort. After a minute or two, she got her feelings straight, and muttered a quick thanks. "'S no problem," he said, rather casually. "Now, this isn't the only thing I wanted to show you. Follow me, still, careful of the bodies…" Iji willingly did as he asked, as he wasn't really demanding for anything this time.

When the two came by one of the machines, Satuxim asked what these did. Iji, not entirely certain either, picked it up, only for her eyes to suddenly lose focus, dimming a little bit in the process. Satuxim, not aware of what was going on, reached for her shoulder again, gently shaking her. "… Iji?" Hello?" Figuring that he couldn't quite snap her out of whatever she was doing right now, waited. After a few more seconds, Iji shook herself, and said, "Huh." "Well, what are those things, then?" he asked. "Apparently logbooks from those…" her voice grew quiet near the end, and Satuxim understood immediately. "Ah. Well, there were three more of these things lying around. Let's continue, shall we?" he said, Iji nodding.

Satuxim paused every time she read one, and, at the end of the room, there was a Poster. Iji, recognizing the four people one the Poster, said, "Hhh… Guys…" sniffing in despair in the process. Satuxim once again put a hand on her shoulder, though this time, Iji shook it off, muttering, "I'm fine…" Satuxim let her sit there for a few moments, then asked, "Am I to presume that they're your family?" "… Were." "Ah. However, I'm going to have to request that you be grateful that one of them is still among us. Be thankful for that, at least." he said. Iji could've sworn that she saw his eyes glow a little brighter at that comment. "Anyways, there's still one of 'em over there. Care to read?" She complied, taking a little longer than average to read it through. She gently put it down, muttering, "Bro…" Satuxim merely shook his head, figuring out quickly enough who wrote in that one. "I'm sorry for sounding inconsiderate here, but who's dead is dead. Mourn however much you wish _after_ this conflict is over with." Iji sadly nodded in agreement, and slowly got up, following Satuxim out, and on to the next room, past the one she woke up in…


	4. Chapter 3: The Tasen

_Author's Notes: _

Hmm… Not much attention to this story at the moment, but 'ey, it's only been a couple of days. I just hope it garners just a tad more attention than it is at the moment…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 3: The Tasen _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: Make Your Mind Up_

"Alright, let's get you out of there," Dan's voice spoke through the microphone on the nearby wall, pointedly ignoring Satuxim's presence. "You'll see those logbooks scattered throughout the sectors, written by the Tasen; I've cracked some of them to be readable. Do through them if you want, some'll probably contain some important information." Iji nodded, and continued with her walk, as did Satuxim. A couple of minutes later, they came by a rather tall ledge; nine feet, at least. Iji tried jumping up to it and, rather startlingly, found herself jumping just high enough to grab on, and push herself upwards. Satuxim followed suit, though he didn't really jump as much as he made use of his wings to fly up there. "Well, looks like you're suddenly able to jump more than twice a normal human's maximum," Satuxim idly pointed out. "Those Nanomachines sure can do a lot, huh?" Iji nodded again, saying, "Hm. I wonder what else I can do with these, now…"

A few more minute's-worth of walking, and they came by a set of multi-colored crates. Jumping on to the first set and peering over, Iji let out a soft gasp; a human-like entity in grey armor, with a green helmet and a visor with it, as well as leggings of both colors, and equipped with what appeared to be a Machinegun, was walking around, likely patrolling it's assigned area. "_Tasen_!" Iji whispered to Satuxim, at little scared. "Shh," Satuxim hushed, "it might hear us. Let's see if we can't skip past it, hm?" Iji nodded in affirmation, and once it's back was turned on them, Satuxim motioned, 'Three… Two… One…' a pointed finger was shot out, and they ran to the nearest crate as quietly as they possibly could, crouching behind it when they got there. The Tasen that was scouting suddenly whirled around, perhaps calling some sort of warning for any intruder to come out, but, getting no response, and seeing no-one there, continued walking around, mumbling to itself.

Satuxim gave the signal again when he felt the Tasen was sufficiently distracted, and the two ran again; this time, however, they were not so lucky. The alien spun around fast enough, and, noticing the two this time, pulled the trigger on his gun, yelling what sounded suspiciously like a "_Hey_!" to Satuxim. The Tasen held the trigger down, and dozens of bullets immediately emerged from the barrel at a lethal velocity. Iji dove for cover at the other side of the crates first, and Satuxim came second. Iji glanced at Satuxim, worried, and noticed a hole in his tabard that wasn't there before, on his shoulder. Iji dived her head in to get a closer look, only to find that, strangely enough, that was only it; a hole in his clothes. The skin underneath appeared to be just fine. "Oh, no need to worry about lil' old me, Iji. I'm a bit more of a survivalist that you would first think," he said, evidently a bit amused at Iji's mixed concern, surprise, and curiosity.

"Anyways, we should keep on going. There's still more ground to cover, and that Tasen probably is not pleased that we managed to get away from her." "Her?" Iji inquired. "How can you tell?" "Magic is capable of a _lot_ of things, Iji. You'd be surprised, I can guarantee you that much." Satuxim got up, as did Iji, and the two resumed their less than pleasant walk.

Coming over to a table, Iji noticed a couple of peculiar things on it; a red orb, a green orb, and two cyan orbs of different sizes. "Iji, those are Nanofields. The green one restores your armor, and the red one heals you. The two blue ones give you Nano, which you can use to increase your Stats." "Stats? What is this, some sort of video game?" Satuxim joked, hoping to ease the tension a little bit. Dan simply ignored his comment, saying, "Health increases the amount of hits you can take before dying." Iji flinched, just a little, but Satuxim noticed, "Attack… Well, increases the damage you can do with your Nanoweapons. Assimilate lets you hold on to more ammunition, and increases the Armor and Health repaired by Nanofields. Strength increases the power of your kicks. Crack lets you hack into more Nano-powered electronics. Tasen lets you use more Nanoweapons made by the Tasen, and the same applies to Komato. The blue Nanofields in front of you should be just enough to Level-Up once, letting you spend a point on one of those Stats." Satuxim merely said, again, "_Totally not_ a video game!" Dan, growing irritated, practically yelled at Satuxim, "Shut up, Satuxim, no-one cares!" "I care, and so does Iji~!" he said in a sing-song voice, hoping to keep on raising Dan's level of irritance. Unbeknownst to the both of them, Iji moved on, being mildly amused by their banter. Grabbing the Nanofields, she walked over to the terminals on the wall, and selected 'HE'. Iji suddenly felt just a little bit more sure of herself.

Satuxim, eventually noticing Iji had walked on without him, teleported over to her side, saying, "Well, a good choice, I suppose. I mean, I'd go for Tasen or Komato, because you'd never know what those weapons'd actually be capable of, but hey, just my opinion." Iji jumped at his sudden appearance, but, getting used to his abilities quickly, then looked hesitant to move on, but she shrugged the feeling off and kept on moving. The two came to what appeared to be an elevator, which had glowing greens circuits across it's black surface. "Sigh… Iji, that's a Tasen elevator. Just step on, and it'll take you down…" Dan said, trying to calm himself from Satuxim's intended harassment. Satuxim himself merely snickered.

The two did as instructed, and it gently began to go down. Upon stopping, Satuxim noticed another one of the Security Doors. "Allow me," Satuxim said, attempting to play the gentleman, walking over to the Door and kicking it down. He noticed two more red Nanofields, and what appeared to be a couple of piles and bullets, and large, blue, circular casings. He could tell at a glance that the blue ones were very, _very_ explosive. "Hey, Iji, come check this out," he exclaimed. Iji did as he asked, and walking over to the bullets first, she picked them up put them in a slot on the Nanogun. They all fit right in, as if they were meant to be put there. "Well, I guess you found where the ammo goes," he said. Just then, the place where Iji was putting the bullets in was covered up, and some text appeared on the casing: 'Machinegun ammo full,' it read. "Not many bullets for what is evidently supposed to be a rapid-fire weapon, but there's the use of Assimilate, I suppose. Now, Iji, careful with those blue ones. They're _extremely_ volatile," he cautioned her. Iji walked over and, very gently, picked up the spheres and put them in another slot in the Nanogun. Six in total were collected. "Judging by their extreme explosiveness, I'd say that they're going to be put to use in a _very_ powerful weapon. Just you watch." Iji nodded, not really listening, as she was trying to be careful with the shells that she was in the process of picking up.

Walking to the other side of the room, they both noticed a machine with a white, mist-like projection flaring up from it. "Okay, I think that you're all ready to move out," he said. "Um… Dan? Satuxim?" Iji asked, a little sheepish. "Yeah?" They both asked simultaneously. "… How many Tasen do you think we'll have to go through to get to the Tasens' leader? I really don't want to fight any of them…" Satuxim sighed, and said, sagely, "Iji... Violence is a force that should only be used when absolutely necessary. If whenever possible, don't fight. With any luck, we won't have to get into a situation that absolutely requires it on a living being." Iji, though uncertain of the legitimacy of his words, shakily nodded, and took a deep breath. "It's like Satuxim says, even if I don't like him. If you don't want to fight, then don't fight. But if you have to, then don't hesitate. If the time comes, just act." Satuxim gasped a little at that statement. "_Those words… Hah… Just like Wolf…_" "What's wrong, Satuxim?" Iji asked, wndering why he just made that sudden inhale. "Ah… It's nothing. He just reminded me of a friend, that's all. Anyways, that's probably a teleporter, judging by how there's no place left to go. I suppose I'll go first…" he said, then walked into the mist. A bright flash, and he was no longer standing there. Iji, though clearly nervous, walked into it as well, and then she disappeared, as well…


	5. Chapter 4: Kinda Green

_Author's Notes: _

Good progress, fast progress. That's what I'm making. Gotta keep, going, gotta go fast, whilst I'm still feelin' it…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 4: Kinda Green _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: Kinda Green_

The two of them ended up in a small pit in the center of a hallway. To the right, they heard the marching of at least a couple of Tasen. To the left, the same, but to a slightly lesser degree, if they studied the sound for a little bit. Satuxim whispered, "So… Which way first?" After a few moments, Iji answered, "Left. Probably less Tasen that way." Satuxim, however, got an idea. "Actually, wait, how about _I_ go right, and _you_ go left? You never know which way either of them will lead, after all, and since there are probably more Tasen that way, it'll be safer for you. Trust me when I say that I'm far more... _experienced… _than you." Iji looked at him strangely, before nodding in affirmation. "No offense, of course. I can tell that you'd have immense potential if you had a greater penchant for killing. Not saying that you should start now, but 'ey, just throwing that out there." He remarked, before setting out to his appointed direction, Iji shaking her head when he got out of sight before moving out as well.

Satuxim ducked for cover the moment he saw the Tasen; three more of the green ones, and another that had blue instead of green on, and a rectangular shape jutting out of the back of it's head. A quick scan revealed that they were all female. 'Blue one's probably a higher rank than the others, though not by much…' he thought to himself, then took note of the terrain. Two of the greens and the blue were one side of the edge of a _very_ deep-looking pit, with another green on the other side. Nothing much appeared to be in this area, though, aside from a Cyborg Station on the other side of the pit that read 'ST'. Just in case, though, Satuxim decided to check out everything, anyways. Focusing for a couple of seconds on the 'ST' over there, he let himself be enveloped by the darkness. About half a second later, he was there, behind the green one. He was right, there really was nothing there besides the Cyborg Station. Just one problem, though; he was spotted already.

The blue one called out a warning to the green one near Satuxim, and she quickly backed away, not accounting for one thing; she was already standing a couple of inches away from the chasm of a pit, and before she knew it, she was already tipping over the edge, about to fall to her unpleasant demise. 'Damn it!' Satuxim cursed in his head, 'I'm not let someone die merely because of my own curiosity!' He sprinted over as fast as he could, trying to reach for her hand, and, luckily, succeeding. Tugging on it and pulling her back with such force as to throw her a couple of feet, she was now safe, thanks to him. Again, though, just one problem; he was now falling to him _own_ demise. The four Tasen looked over the edge, extremely surprised that what seemed to be a human would sacrifice his life for a Tasen's.

Keyword here, of course, being _would_; making use of his wings again, he slowed himself down before his most-likely violent landing would happen, and began to quickly ascend. The Tasen seeing this, backed away wearily, not knowing just _what the Hell this thing was._ Upon reaching the elevation at which he first fell, he put his feet back down on the ground, on the opposite side of the shaft that that he fell from, and began walking away. The Tasen, seeing as how he had just saved one of them, let him go free, swiftly contacting Elite Krotera to tell him of what events had just come to pass.

Meanwhile, on the young woman's side of the spectrum, Iji was walking swiftly, hoping to end this conflict as soon as she could. Coming up to a slow rise in the floor, she ducked behind a nearby crate, glancing over the side of it to see what was up ahead. She was most-likely right in her assumption that there were less Tasen on this side of the hall-way, as there were only two of them; a green, and, to Iji, at least, a newly-discovered blue one. The blue one was equipped with a bigger weapon than the green one; judging by the large size of the barrel, it was some sort of Rocket Launcher. Waiting for the most opportune moment possible to slip by unnoticed, she patiently sat there, biding her time. One both of their backs were turned, she made a run for it, quickly dropping down the ledge and running underneath the platform that hosted the green Tasen. Both of them quickly turned around and, not noticing anybody there, went back to their near-pointless walking around. She waited a minute or two, then ran for it again, seeing the Lift and hiding in a corner of it's shaft. Again, her progress went unnoticed, though she believed she heard the green one mutter something along the lines of 'Damned rodents…'

Iji sat there, taking a few, silent breaths to get rid of her exhaustion, and then patiently awaited for Satuxim's return, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get to her if the Lift went up without him. After a couple of minutes, she heard some yelling, and some gunshots rang out, alerting her to Satuxim's presence. She peeked her head out, and, seeing him about a dozen feet away, motioned for him to get over here. Satuxim dodged the bullets, and ducked out to the other side of the shaft, both of them glad to see the other unscathed. The lift then began to rise up. "Whew… I'm one lucky little git, not being hit by a single one of those bullets…" he muttered. Iji merely laughed a little. "Say, Iji… Can you come over here for a moment? I need to check something…" She complied, going over and sitting down about a foot away from him. "Okay… Now, reach your hand out…" Again, she complied. Her hand met his, and suddenly, she felt a jolt of pain, and an abrupt rush of information;

"Nanofield booting up… Procedures completed. Statistics: Health: . Strength: . Assimilate: 0. Attack: . Crack: 0. Tasen: 0. Komato: 0. Jump: . Armor: 0." Iji's eyes shot open, and she forced herself to get up, feeling quite under the weather. She saw, Satuxim standing up, with his voice monotonous and his stance rigid. Satuxim then shook himself, voicing his discomfort. "Okay, that was _weird_. Just, _what the Hell_, man. Ugh…" He collapsed, Iji racing over to break his fall, catching him by his torso. She was startled at how light he felt. "… That was… unexpected… I… think I need to sit down for a little while…" He sounded very sick whilst saying this. Iji complied, carefully setting him down own the flat surface of the Lift. "… Satuxim... What did you just do? And how long was I out for?" she inquired. Satuxim took a while to respond. "I… wanted to see how your Nanofield functioned… I… ended up getting a bit more than I… asked for…" Iji asked what he meant. "… Well… apparently, I've got a Nanofield of my own, now… Quite a turn of events, eh…?" Iji found herself a little shell-shocked, despite all of the events and the important role thrust upon her not an hour earlier. He tried to get himself up, but found it impossible to do so at that moment. "Ngh… Magic does _not _mix well with Nanotechnology... I'll need a couple of minutes to recover from this…  
And, for your information… you were only out for about a minute… Haaa…" His eyes then closed, and he fell limp, quickly going unconscious. Iji looked concerned for him, but the Lift suddenly came to a halt.

Looking over the now-accessible corridor, she noticed almost half-a-dozen of the Tasen patrolling the area. Luckily, though, there were crates in the way to block them from seeing the two. Unfortunately, however, she heard one of them say, in a rather feminine voice, "Guys, the lift just came back up. I hope that means that the others found some more coffee…!" she said. A couple of them began walking towards them, and Iji almost felt like crying again because of this immensely stressful and possibly lethal turn of events. "Damn it…!" she muttered, "What do I do…!?"


	6. Chapter 5: Encounter

_Author's Notes: _

So, for those extremely few who are reading this, do you like this story so far? Is it decent? Good? Bad? Leave your opinion in a Review, if you feel that you must.

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 5: Encounter _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: Hade Shade_

'Alright, Iji, calm down… What can be done… Gotta think quick…' she contemplated, attempting and failing to find a solution to this situation that didn't involve fighting the Tasen in front of her. Before she knew it, however, they were upon her, guns trained on her head. Though, before they had the chance to fire, one of them pointed out to the other two present, "Hey! That's the guy who saved one of our Scouts!" The small group immediately pointed their guns away from the two, a blue one saying, "Yeah, the guy on the floor saved one of us a couple of minutes ago. We're goin' to let you go free, but _just_ us. Consider it a shaky truce, I guess. Just don't be surprised if any of the other guys later on decide to shoot you, anyways." She said to Iji, the gender being determined by the voice. Iji merely had another stunned look on her features, and nodded shakily, slinging Satuxim over her shoulder and asking the three of them to move aside. Politely, of course. They complied, shifting along and going back to their posts.

Iji kept on moving forward, coming by more Tasen. They simply ignored her, and she did the same, though still occasionally casting weary glances in their directions. Walking over to the elevator on the other side of the room, she went up it. While it was ascending, Satuxim twitched a little, his eyes slowly fluttering open. "Ugh… Geez… My precious, aching head…" He glanced upwards, noticing Iji looking back down on him. "Yeah… You can let go, now…" She did as he asked, and he slowly straightened himself up. Stretching, he asked, "So, how long was _I_ out for?" "Oh, I'd say about three minutes," Iji replied, a little amused at his joking tone. "Hah. Told you it'd take a couple of minutes. Now, then, did you run into any Tasen while I was under?" Iji nodded in affirmation, "Yeah. They let me go, though, saying that you saved a Scout… Did you, really?" He shifted his head up and down in a yes. "Well, you see…"

"Hmm. Well, that was… nice of you, I guess…" "I know, right? I'm _such_ a nice guy! Except when I'm angry. Trust when I say that you do _not_ want to be within a square _mile_ of a sufficiently pissed-off me. It wouldn't end well for anybody." He joked in the first part, then attempted to sound intimidating in the second. Both of his intentions were fulfilled quite easily, Iji slowly backing away. "Oh, sorry. I tend to get carried away a bit. So, to ease the tension, I'm going to let you ask some questions about _me_! I can just _sense_ the curiosity brimming up in you. You're going to find out later on anyways, so why not? This's as good a time as any, so fire away!" Iji nodded, then went a bit deep into her thoughts.

Her first question was, "Okay, just how old are you, anyways? You look like a teenager!" Satuxim responded, "This is the body of a fifteen-year-old. Now, for my _actual_ age, pick a number between one and one hundred." Iji looked shocked at this, but she answered regardless, "… 24?" Satuxim smirked. "Nope. Try _99_." Iji's mouth immediately flew open, and before she could ask _how_ that was even possible, he said, "Again, magic can do a _lot_ of things, dark magic in particular. Luckily for me, that includes granting _immortality and eternal youth_. Oh, want to see proof? It'll also answer the question of why I weigh so little. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't scream, by the way." Not really giving Iji the option to say no or look away, she had no choice but to keep her gaze focused at what he was about to show her, a small tingle of fear now inside of her chest.

Satuxim reached his hands out, and a black aura surrounded them. After a moment, it shifted to form claws around his fingers, and, rather unexpectedly, he _tore them into his chest and ripped himself open_. Inside of him were not organs, or blood vessels, but rather a never-ending pool of darkness, with the occasional streak of red flashing inside. Iji stared, Satuxim stood perfectly still, and a _very_ awkward silence ensued. "Yeah… The only truly physical thing on me is the skin and ensuing hair. Everything else? What can easily equate to _pure energy_." Iji finally managed to regain the will to open her mouth, and, using this regained function, she settled on screaming because of the _freak of nature_ before her. Or, at least, she _would have_, were it not for the fact that of tendril of the magic shot out and clamped around her mouth, effectively shutting her up.

"I _told_ you not to scream! Sheesh! What'll the aliens and Dan think? That I'm secretly attempting to murder you? Actually, wait, no, let me try something else, I've done plenty of murder… Hmm… Well, actually, the only other example I can think of would be rape or torture, and I'm not _that_ much of a physco." His smirk managed to somehow grow even wider. "At least, I _think_ I'm not. But no, seriously, though, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. I am going to let go, now. Don't scream." After a couple of more seconds, he followed through. Iji let out an audible gasp, and took several deep breaths to calm herself. Satuxim then immediately took his hands off of himself, and the skin instantly mended itself back together.

The Lift came to a stop after a couple of more minutes, and Iji still sat there, getting her thoughts straight, gasping softly even after those minutes had passed. "Hey, you wanted to know, and now you do. I am who I am, and nothing can stop that. Not would-be friends, not enemies, not even _myself._ I'm not your enemy, _really_, I'm not. I'm just going to have to request that you don't freak out whenever I do something related to magic. Oh, and not shoot me in the process, as well. That's all I ask." Satuxim reached his hand out, and Iji flinched back, still a little scared. After a few moments, though, she got her nerves together and reached out as well. Satuxim pulled her up, and the two were on their way. "… Satuxim?" "Hm?" "Sorry for trying to shoot you, back there, when we first talked." Satuxim smirk suddenly faded, which was quickly replaced by a genuine smile. "No biggie. That reaction was a completely natural one, I can assure you of that much. You were presented with something that could be a threat, and, scared, you didn't really bother to think. I know that sort of sensation all too well, myself…" A small frown then replaced his previous grin, and the air around him turned solemn…


	7. Chapter 6: Secrets

_Author's Notes: _

Again, feel free to drop a review, or PM me. There still isn't much attention to this story, so a little bit of attention ought to be a bit of a morale-booster for me…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 6: Secrets_

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: Kinda Green_

The two walked out of the elevator, Iji finally recovering from the shock of what Satuxim had just shown her. Dan's voice then spoke out of a microphone a short distance away, asking Iji, "Why're you shaking like that, Iji? You look like you've seen a ghost." Iji merely shook her head, and Satuxim spoke for her, "It was something a bit more than that, I'm afraid. I'll tell you about it when I finally get to meet you face to face." Dan involuntarily shuddered, still a tad afraid at the inevitable future physical encounter with him.

They came to another Security Door, and Satuxim kicked it down like he did with the previous one. Walking in, Iji noticed a pink Ribbon on the floor next to some bullets. "Hhh! It's one of Mia's Ribbons! What's it doing here…?" "Iji? Is something the matter?" Satuxim inquired, curious as to what she was talking about. "Oh… It's nothing, Satuxim. She can't be alive, anyways…" Sounding a bit depressed, she jumped over to the nearby ledge, and saw a glass pane in the way. "Allow me," the Angel said, trying to play the gentleman. His hands flew out, and the pane was surrounded in a field of black; next thing she saw, it was only about a tenth of it's original size, laying against a nearby wall. The pair jumped over to the floor across from the one they were jest standing on, and Satuxim used his magic again to restore the plate of glass to it's normal size and position. "Ah, the wonders of magic…" Satuxim mumbled to himself, sounding pleased.

Jumping past yet another pit, as well as going past a blue Tasen, the two came to a Cyborg Station labelled 'HE'. Iji put her hand on it, and again, she felt just a little more sure of herself. Looking down the crevice, they noticed the Lift they came up from earlier, where they talked and made the truce. Satuxim merely nodded his head, impressed at how the sections of the Sector wove together like that. However, he then abruptly jolted to a stiff upright position. He then glared at the wall across from them, and, before Iji even knew why he was glaring at the wall with such ferocity, he jumped towards it, fist held back and curled. A shield of black surrounded it, and a _**crash**_ sounded from the wall. Dust flew, and Iji coughed, trying to wave it out of her face. After about a minute of this, the cloud cleared, and Satuxim stood at the other side of it, trying to get rid of the dust on his clothes. "I _just_ cleaned these a couple of hours ago. _Sigh_… Oh, well. It would seem that I've found a bit of a secret passage, so I'd say it's worth it." Iji stared, dumbfounded. "Oh, you want to know how I found it? Well… let's just say that I have a penchant for secret-finding and leave it at that, hm?" A mild tone took over his voice near the end of his sentence. "Now, jump on over. I'm getting the impression that there's something _big_ on the other side of this passage…" She hesitantly complied, slightly increasing her pace from her norm to catch up to him. The blue Tasen they walked by earlier remarked, "_How the Hell did they_…?"

After ten straight minutes of walking, the two came by ladder. Climbing up it, they saw a most peculiar thing; a bright, glowing, cyan sphere, with three tendrils of the same color circling it, much larger than the average Nanofield. Walking up to touch it, his curiosity piqued, he suddenly felt a rush of energy. Quickly pulling away, a good chunk of it still left, he motioned for Iji to come forward and do the same. She did as he asked, walking forward and putting her hand to it, absorbing the rest of it. Iji jumped, saying, "Woah! I feel so… alive, all of a sudden!" "Well, I'm not sure just what this thing is, but it felt _good_. Let's see what else is here..."

A teleporter, as well as a Tasen logbook, were also a couple of feet away. Using his new Nanotechnology to do so, he read to Iji, from the logbook, "Sector Z Research… Okay, here's what we know about that damned teleporter. During the routine setup procedures, the teleporter destination was set to random, which usually means it won't connect to the other end because there's no matching pad. To everyone's surprise, however, it _did_ find a working connection somewhere. We still don't have a clue where – or WHAT_ – _that place actually is. The few who have returned report such strange findings, we believe they've simply gone mad. Some call it a bizarre trial, others believe it's someone's memories, while others still say it's a world beyond our own confines. One survivor claimed he managed to pass the whole ordeal, and wound up in an eerie place overlooking all these worlds. He called it the "Orbital Dimension Haven". Out of determination to unlock the secrets of the world beyond this teleporter, and the naming convention used by the local humans, we have dubbed this strange and terrifying place 'Sector Z'. Due to the danger and secrecy involved, we have also placed an extremely powerful Nanofield lock on it – no-one will be able to use the teleporter without meeting the proper requirements."

Satuxim walked over to the teleporter, which, on the plating read, 'WARNING: DESTINATION UNKNOWN'. Words flashed above it as he drew near; 'Access denied; all ten Posters required.' Satuxim merely smirked. "Posters? Who needs unlockables when you've got _magic_!" He then put his hands on the pad. After a couple of seconds, the mist showing that the teleporter is primed to go revealed itself. "Hah! Told you! Magic triumphs over video game logic!" he taunted to nobody in particular. "Anyways, this 'Sector Z' sounds like my kind of place! Join me if you want, Iji, but I'm goin' ahead!" He promptly jumped in not a second later, vanishing in the haze. Iji looked doubtful, but walked on to the pad nevertheless, following after him to, perhaps, one of the oddest places she'll ever visit…


	8. Chapter 7: Sector Z

_Author's Notes: _

_Yes_, I decided to cover Sector Z before going on with the actual story. It was one of the things I've been looking forward to the most about writing this story, actually, along with Sector Y. _Yes_, I'll be covering that _abomination_ of a place, as well. Even if it is mildly scary…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 7: Sector Z _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: 1/2fabrikat_

The pair ended up finding themselves in an unusual place; slowly floating down through a black and blue space, with small, blue cubes flying by in the background. They landed on a platform made of blue… cube, things. It's hard to describe, trust me. Iji ducked down and put her hand on it, finding it surprisingly solid. "Well, this is strange. Unnatural, really," Satuxim idly commented. Walking over to the edge and peering over, he noticed another area to land on. Figuring that there really was nothing better to do but sit there and wait to die, which'd be rather pointless, he told Iji to jump off, saying, "Judging by our slow descent, I'd say that there's evidently little gravity to be had here. Let's get a move on!" He jumped over the edge. Iji hesitantly did the same. Indeed, Satuxim was right in his assumption; they descended at about a foot per second, not really accelerating at all. It took about a minute of this descent to land on the floor below, which was composed of the same stuff on the platform above them. Noticing yet another place to go down to, they did the same from just a minute ago. While they were dropping, Satuxim asked, "So, what do _you_ think this place is all about? I don't know why, but I'm having a sense of déjà vu…" Iji merely shook her head, uncertain as to what this place was supposed to be, though curious as to why Satuxim had a sense of familiarity with this place.

Upon landing again, the two walked to the only direction they could, trying to progress to what they thought would be the end of this place. After a couple of minutes, they noticed a… blob, for lack of a better word. It was blue, and floated in the air, as if trying to look for something. The two continued on, trying to ignore the anomaly currently floating around their heads. That is, until it tried to head-butt Iji, knocking her to the ground. Satuxim swiped at it with an unseen strand of magic, and it was cut in half before dissipating. A brief hiss of pain later, and Iji was back up. "Geez! What the Hell was that thing's deal!?" Satuxim shrugged. "At the very least, now we know to kill any on sight. Well, as much as the term 'kill' can be applied to these things. Who knows if they're even living beings. Actually, wait a second…" Satuxim stepped forward, and, swinging his hand out, a small ball of dark energy formed. He put his hand to it, before retracting, the shape disappearing. "Yep, not living things. Just strands of computer data. Strange… It's almost like we're in a video game of some sort…"

Moving on, the two went along, jumping over ledges and destroying more of those blob-like things. They, soon enough, came to another chasm to drop down. Doing so, and landing on a perfectly horizontal surface, Satuxim realized, "… Huh. I think I know what that first part was." Iji glanced over. "Really? What is it, then?" "You ever heard of Metroid?" "Yeah." "I think that was Norfair, from the NES game." Iji let out a mild gasp. "Wh- Really?" Iji stayed silent for a moment, then added, "Actually, now that I think about it… Yeah, that _was_ Norfair. Who would've guessed it?" Satuxim opened his mouth, and Iji quickly corrected herself, "Nevermind, don't answer that question." Satuxim let out a mild chuckle.

Walking around a bit, Satuxim began to notice a pattern of the new section of the Sector. "Hold on, I'll be right back," he said, flying off. Getting a few-dozen feet away, he saw what he was looking for. Gliding back to Iji, landing a couple of feet way, the Angel pointed out, "This may sound a tad morbid, but this part of Sector Z is shaped like a skull. I'm beginning to think that we may be inside someone's imagination, like the logbook earlier said." Iji merely shook her head, not really wanting to think about this place. It was just too _weird_ for her standards, simple as that. Satuxim, on the other hand, had seen much stranger, so he was perfectly willing to invest his thoughts into this place. What does this place mean? What does it represent? Where did it come from? And, in general, _just what is this place_? He's spend a long time thinking, even after he left this place, that much, at least, is certain for him…

Getting to the bottom of the supposed skull, the two noticed a strange, small cube that flashed rapidly between green and orange. Walking over and putting his hand to it, Satuxim suddenly found himself in an even stranger area; a room of metallic, blue walls, and orange platforms that seemingly hung on nothing. Blue spike balls, which, almost _creepily_ enough, had eyes, stared at him as they spun around their surfaces. Iji teleported in soon after as well, and, seeing what he had, commented, "I swear, this place just keeps getting weirder and weirder…" Again, Satuxim shrugged. "Not my place to judge how this place was made, or who made it. Nor is it yours, methinks."

Jumping past the Spikers, as Satuxim began to call them, shooting when necessary, and being wary of the spikes, the pair eventually ended up at a small alcove, with a similar appearance to the previous Norfair stage. Strolling over to another green and orange cube, they were taken to a room of stone, with purple orbs encased by orange barriers running along the walls. Ignoring them for the most part, they kept on walking and vaulting past the 'enemies', and came to yet another cube, this one taking them to a chrome-colored, large-scale, blocky set of rooms. Robots built seemingly out of pixels, with two protruding 'arms', were floating around. Electing on going right first, the two noticed some suspended green cubes. Seeing as how Iji didn't have the ability to fly, she began jumping across them, as there was no other way to progress for her. Satuxim merely waited on the other side, covering her from the Drones that attempted to float over to her.

After crossing another set of these green blocks, the two came by a logbook, though this one was gray. Picking it up and reading it, Satuxim let out a minute laugh. Handing it over to Iji, she had a different reaction, grimacing a little instead. "It would seem that we weren't the first to get here besides the Tasen," he noted. "Most interesting…" Satuxim took the logbook from Iji and put it back on the floor, and the two went back to the start and headed in the opposite direction. Climbing up more cubes, the companions came to a room, fairly similar to all of the other they came by. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Satuxim, however, widened his eyes a little. "Hah… Double secret. Clever." He flew over to the top-right, punching a hole in the wall to reveal another room. Crouching by the edge of it, holding out his hand. Iji took it, and he hoisted her up, beginning to walk to forward again. At the end of the room was a curious-looking Poster; a pink rabbit with blue eyes, a red smile, and the words 'senast 2001!' writing over and underneath it. Walking over to investigate, words flashed over it, like with the teleporter back in Sector 1: 'This Poster is too epic to unlock! –reallyjoel'. Paying it no heed, he reached over and attempted to decipher it's meaning. "Bah. Makes no sense…" he mumbled. Motioning for Iji to walk out of the room, he did the same. "What was that Poster about?" she inquired. He described it's contents to her. "Yeah… I don't think we're _meant_ to understand it. Probably something pointless, anyways." she agreed. Satuxim then hopped over to the indent in the ceiling, punching a hole in that as well. Iji hopped after him, and the two came by yet another teleporter. Without a word, they both walked in, wondering just what else this enigmatic place had in store for them…


	9. Chapter 8: The Null Driver

_Author's Notes: _

And here we are, still in the second-strangest place in _Iji_. The first being Sector Y, of course. Luckily for you guys, though, it will be the second, and _last_, chapter of this relatively brief story arc…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 8: The Null Driver _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: 1/2fabrikat_

The companions wound up in a surprisingly basic-looking room; just a small ledge down leading to what appeared to be a field of lasers. "I think the solution here is pretty simple…" Raising his hands, a barrier of magic formed above his head, just wide enough to fit the both of them underneath it. "Now, Iji, not a step out of line. One foot at a time…" She shook her head at his rhyme, but did as he asked. Indeed, they went slowly, one step at a time, crossing four of the laser beams, until coming up to a ledge and hoping up it. What was lying there was excessively strange, even compared to what they had come across so far; what appeared to be a gun, it flashed rapidly between black and white in certain sections, as if it were a glitchy tile in an old video game console. Iji walked over, cautiously poking it with one finger, before it exploded into cyan spheres, flying towards her Nanogun. Suddenly, the Nanogun had a message on the top of the barrel;

'You got the Null Driver. WARNING: The wormholes generated by this corrupted prototype weapon are highly unstable. USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.' "That doesn't really explain what it _does_, but okay. If even the borderline super-human Tasen deem this thing not worthy of use because of it's effects, then you _really_ shouldn't. Hell, it almost even _looks_ the part." Iji nodded in agreement, noticing the teleportation cube at the end of the room. Gesturing Satuxim towards it, the two went on to the final area in Sector Z.

They were now in a pit of the green cubes from the area filled with Drones. Getting out of it, they saw nothing more than an empty space, dotted with green cubes, no true pattern capable of being found between them. They saw an orange platform about a quarter-mile away. Satuxim took the lead again, jumping over to the first one, gesticulating Iji to do the same. Over the course of the next twenty-ish minutes, they leapt from cube to cube, Iji especially being careful not to fall. It took a little while, but they came to be just a couple of more hops away from the platform. However, they quickly took into consideration the path of cubes that lead down. They agreed to go there first, Satuxim and Iji resuming their hopping.

Another ten minutes later, they took note of a large-looking platform. Floating gently down towards it, Satuxim saw a pattern, like with the previous skull. Flying out a few-dozen feet away, he saw what it was supposed to represent. Going back to Iji, he reported, "DCR. That's what this stands for. Maybe someone's initials? A company, or brand name?" They both shrugged. Satuxim held out his hand, telling Iji, take my hand, and I'll fly us back up there. She complied, and Satuxim began flapping his wings, jumping away from the ground. "Hold on tight!" he commanded her, in a rather joking tone.

The two eventually got back up to their previous elevation, and they were now standing on the orange platforms. Satuxim quickly figured something out, before they could progress, though; "Iji, look out into this space. What do you see?" She did as he asked. She let out a mild gasp; besides the previous 'levels' they had been to, she also saw orange cubes, with what appeared to be sprites of a video game inside of them, all if which looked _very_ retro. "… I think we're in a NES, or something along those lines, Iji." She mutually agreed. "Also, I think this is the Orbital Dimension Haven that logbook mentioned." A silent 'yes' left Iji's mouth. She was marveling at the sight of it all.

After a couple more minutes of would-be star-gazing, they continued onwards. The two came to another gray logbook, and, a couple of feet past that, a wall of what appeared to be glittery sparkles. Picking up the logbook, Satuxim told Iji a basic summary of it's contents; "This is going to sound strange, but apparently, in an alternate universe, your adventures in stopping the Tasen were a _video_ _game_." Iji gaped. "That game was made by a guy named Daniel Remar, and this logbook apparently was put here himself, thanking anybody who came by here, because, in it, you had to find all of the game's secrets to get here. I… actually feel kind of bad for 'cheating', as it were, to get here. Hm." She kept on gaping. "So, evidently, this entire place was made by Remar. Wait… Wouldn't that mean we're now in the dimension of that game?" Satuxim kept on thinking, and after about a minute of this, he simply said, "Ugh. Confusion. Best not to dote on that subject any longer… Iji? Hello?" He waved a hand in her face. She didn't snap out of it. "_Sigh_. I _always_ have to do this to the protagonist of a story at _least_ once, don't I…?" He retracted his hand, whipped it outwards, and sent it flying towards Iji's face.

The reaction was practically instantaneous; she put her hand to her face, and almost screamed at him, "_OW_! What the _Hell _was that for!?" Satuxim held back his laughter (For now…) and said, "Well, you wouldn't snap out of it, no matter what I tried, so I was really left no choice. Though, your reaction to this situation is entirely understandable, as I have stated once already." Iji shook her head, cradling her cheek, and she responded, "You still didn't have to hit me so hard!" She mumbled a quick 'damn it' after that statement. "Now, then, are we done here? The logbook stated that the Orbital Dimension Haven was the end if this little 'trial'. And good riddance, because this place is just too much, even for me." He said, walking towards the glowing field of sparkles at the end of the room. He vanished in a semi-bright flash of light, Iji following after him, also grateful to be done with this place. Though, they both had to admit, they were rather curious as to what would happen if they pulled the trigger in that mysterious weapon…


	10. Chapter 9: Sector 2

_Author's Notes: _

And, _finally_, Sector 1 is done with. Don't you fret, though, I don't intend for Sector 2 to be as long…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 9: Sector 2 _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: Kinda Green_

"Iji! Where the Hell've you been!? You just disappeared all of a sudden, and now you're back!" A brief silence from the microphones, then another comment, "I don't get it…" The two found themselves in an area with a somewhat pale-blue color scheme. A bulky-looking door was in front of them, and behind them, the familiar brown of Sector 1. Though Satuxim thought he already knew where they were, he asked, "Dan, can to tell us where we are now?" He rebuked, "As soon as you tell me where you two went!" Satuxim sighed, then said, "Fine. But you asked for it…" He went on an unnecessarily long explanation of Sector Z, including his theories of what the place was, as well as where it came from, before Dan said, with an exhausted sigh, "You know what? You're in Sector 2 now. Happy? I'm just going to pretend that this conversation never happened. I think that's for the best…" Satuxim merely smirked, and Iji barely her back her giggles, both of them amused at Dan's expense.

"Iji, try Cracking that door." She walked up to it, and asked, a bit awkwardly, "Well… What do I do, then?" "Put you hand to it, and focus. It should come to you naturally." She did as her brother told, and suddenly, her vision was replaced with a sea of black. A three-by-five shape of cyan blocks appeared, with a ten-second counter going down next to them. A green dot was on the top-left most block, with a red block flashing in the opposite corner. Presuming that she was the green dot, and the red dot was where she wanted to go, she moved it to go one block to the right. Then another to the right. Then four down. A quick 'Beep' ensued, and the vision abruptly evaporated, the door in front of her flying open. "Well… That was… an experience, I guess…?" she muttered.

Walking through the now-opened door, Satuxim following in after her, they came to a blue and yellow box, with all manner of glowing lights around it. "Try cracking that box, Iji. There's a-" "Ooh! Let me try!" "Satuxim, I don't think that's a very good-" He ignored him, of course, and, putting his hand to it, he let the vision take over. Not even a second later, and the box flew open, and inside was a device, mainly spherical in shape. "Hell, that was too easy. I can probably clear something that easy while juggling a couple of grenades, methinks…" Picking it up, and giving it to Iji, it blew into dozens of small, cyan-shaped circles, and were absorbed by her Nanogun, like with the Null Driver. 'You got the Resonance Detonator. The power and knockback of the small blast generated by this weapon is determined by the user's Strength. Amazingly potent in the correct hands, it has just two draw-backs; it's sluggish recharge time, and the size of the blast itself, which is rather meager compared to any other Nanoweapon.'

Walking onwards with her new-found Resonance Detonator, Iji tried pulling the trigger with it. A violet sphere surrounded her for about 2 seconds, and a small mumble of pain ensued from Satuxim, who was now rubbing his aching bum. "Geez, watch out for _me_ when you're firing that thing! If you had more Strength, that would've actually hurt!" Iji glanced down at him, sheepish, and muttered an apology before helping him up to his feet. Strolling to wherever they were supposed to go, the pair came to another room, with a ledge overhead. In the center of the room was a strange-looking machine; purple with orange indents and circuits all over it, with a large circular one at the center-top of it. "What you see in front of you is a Nanoweapon Station. It's used to combine weapons. Try doing so with your Shotgun with the Resonance Detonator," Dan's voice spoke from the nearby microphone. Walking forward and putting her hand to it, she was once again in the Crack-vision, as it can be called, and some text appeared. It said; 'Select the Nanoweapons you wish to combine.' A screen appeared over her head, with eight slots. Her Shotgun took up the slot labelled '1', and the Resonance Detonator took up '5'. Selecting the two of them, a message appeared, replacing the previous one. 'You need a Crack of at least four to attempt this Nanoweapon combining.' She was then ejected from the vision, and wound up with her rear on the floor rather painfully, not unlike Satuxim from a moment earlier. And, speaking of which, "Hah! Now you know how _I_ felt!" Iji glowered at him, slowly getting up. "Can I have your Gun for a moment?" he requested, wishing to see if he could do it himself. Iji complied, a little doubtful that he could get the job done himself.

Putting his hand to it, he selected the '1' and '5' just as Iji had, though this time he was allowed in. Instead of three-by-five, it was now a bit more complex, this one being six-by-five. He still blew through it in just over a single second, however. "'S like I'm in a puzzle game whenever I do that. Except instead of actual strategy, it's reliant on quick reflexes." A brief silence from him, then, like a light bulb went off in his head, "Aha! _Genius_! I'll make a game out of it, someday! Just got to remember it, and I'll make _millions_ out of it!" His eyes glowed a little more at this. Momentarily forgetting Iji's presence, he continued to think of the possibilities, before Iji walked over and poked him. "You done yet?" Satuxim scratched the back of his head through his thick hair, and responded, a bit sheepish himself, "Yeah. Here's your weapon back, by the way." Another message popped up on it, when it was in Iji's grasp again; 'You got the Resonance Reflector. This devious little weapon cannot deal any direct damage, but is able to reflect mass-based projectiles, like Rockets, MPFB shots, and Shocksplinters. However, it cannot reflect projectiles that travel at a sufficiently fast speed, like Machinegun Bullets, or Pulse Cannon weapon types. "Whatever those latter three are…" Satuxim mumbled, referring to the MPFB, Shocksplinter, and Pulse Cannon. "NOTE: Reflected projectiles DO NOT award kills when striking an enemy, unless you were the one who originally fired the projectile.'

"Doesn't really change the fact that you'd still be responsible for any imminent deaths because of it, though," Satuxim said, recommending that she not use it, regardless, as, again, she clearly wasn't one for killing. Iji and Satuxim walked over to the nearby Lift, noticing another door surrounded by a Nanofield. Satuxim looked at Iji for approval, and she nodded, Satuxim kicking down the door. What was inside the room surprised them a bit; A tall Tasen, easily breaking eight feet, clad in a dull blue and red armor set, with grey like the other Tasen, was sitting in a chair near a desk. A giant claw-like appendage was on it's right arm, and a Rocket Launcher was on the end of it's left arm instead of a hand. Apparently, it was testing out how sturdy the chair was, or, seeing something more comfortable than a few crates to sit on, it just decided to take a break on it. It's head immediately flew upwards, it's eyes visibly widening a bit in surprise underneath it's visor. Springing up to it's feet, and aiming it's Rocket Launcher at the two of them, it shouted, in a distinctly male voice, "_Contact_!"


	11. Chapter 10: Tasen Commander

_Author's Notes: _

I know Iji isn't exactly the most popular game around, but geez! This story is hardly garnering any attention at all. Not that I'm begging for it or anything, but still… Also, one-week anniversary of this story! However a small amount, time sure does fly by, huh?

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 10: Tasen Commander_

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: 3 Cans Later_

"_Contact_!" he shouted, his Rocket Launcher arm glowing for a moment before firing the explosive projectile at them. Dodging out of the way, Satuxim shouted at her, "The Lift! Start the Lift!" Iji gladly complied, activating the Lift, starting it's descent. Just one problem; It was going so _slow_, and because of that, the Tasen was able to get on to it before it went down far enough to cause him injury if he jumped for it. He swung his claw arm at Satuxim, sending him flying with the force of the attack, luckily not putting a gash across his chest; it was more just a blunt hit instead of a slash. He moved on to Iji, his other arm getting primed to fire, said girl, cowering a little. Before _that_ could happen, however, Satuxim got up, sprinted over to him, and took the arm in his hands. A resounding _crunch_ ensued, that Tasen's would-be hand was now crushed, making it useless. He almost screamed in pain, swinging the other arm at him almost desperately. He caught it in both arms, pressing down on it with enough force to put small indents where his fingers were. He then lifted him up with that appendage, and flung him over his head, planting him on the nearby wall. He crumbled to the ground, unconscious. Iji gaped at Satuxim for his show of raw strength before looking over to the knocked-out Commander, concerned. "Oh, don't worry your pretty little head off. He'll live, and both arms can be repaired quite easily with their Nanotechnology, methinks. 'Least now they'll know not to take me in melee combat…" Iji still doubted his words, hoping that the Tasen on the ground was alright, even though he tried to kill them both not ten seconds ago.

The Lift came to a halt, and the two were greeted by two Scouts and a Soldier, a Scout on their right and the other two on the left. The three of them glanced down at the unconscious Commander at the ground and, even though they pretty much knew that they were outmatched, began firing upon the two. Satuxim ran over to the Scout and planted a punch firmly in it's helmet before it had the chance to even pull the trigger on it's weapon, knocking it out. Forming a shield of black behind them, protecting the two, he grabbed Iji by the hand and threw her over the ten-odd foot pile of crates. He leaped over as well, casting a final glance at the Tasen that were now below them. "Again, that Tasen I knocked out is just unconscious. Didn't put a whole lot of power in that punch, luckily enough for her…" Iji took a couple of deep breaths, calming herself down, before getting back up and walking hopping down the pile of crates, Satuxim following after her…

... Only to be greeted by another Scout, and another Soldier. The Lift on the other side of the room was also not active, judging by the lack of green, glowing circuits. "Okay, Iji, close your eyes. We're gonna teleport!" he exclaimed, grabbing both of Iji's shoulders. "Wait, wh-" "_Close your eyes_!" "She did as he ordered, a bit frightened at what she'd see while it happened if even _Satuxim_ was concerned. A wave of black engulfed them, and they both vanished. The Tasen saw this, of course, the Soldier muttering a "What the Zentraidon…?" before they both talked about what they just saw, mutually agreeing to never speak of this again outside of talking to Krotera, and their daily reports.

The two ended up at the other side of the room that was on their left, on the Lift. They appeared with nary a sound, so the Tasen didn't notice their presence at the time, as they were still glaring in the other direction, wary of a surprise attack. Satuxim glanced down for a moment, then looked around, checking for their location. Iji, meanwhile looked like she wanted to vomit, most likely from movement involved in the teleport Satuxim just performed. Noticing her unease, Satuxim gently rubbed her back, trying to sooth her nausea, the Lift beginning to go up during this. It took a couple of minutes, but she eventually felt her need to wretch go away. "Thanks…" she mumbled. "No need to mention it later. I'm just relieved that you did what I said. And if you're wondering why I made you close your eyes, well… What you would witness in that darkness is _not_ healthy to look at for longer than a second to anybody but me. Trust me when I say that, if you don't have a strong enough mental fortitude, you'd either go mad, or commit suicide. It is _not_ pleasant in the slightest." Iji merely shivered at the though.

About a minute after that, the Lift came to a halt, revealing to them even more Tasen, one Soldier and another Scout, who was, strangely, walking around on the table in the middle of the room. Satuxim quickly took note of the explosive barrel at the other end of the room, and he dove underneath the table, Iji following suit. Miraculously, their actions went unnoticed. Satuxim made the same signal back in Sector 1. 'Three… Two… One… Go!' Darting out from underneath the table, the two jumped over the Soldier, doing the same with the barrel. The Tasen had no choice but to let them go, seeing as how there was a volatile box of explosives between them, as well as the inaccuracy of their Machineguns adding to the risk of accidentally setting it off.

Another Lift later, the two came to another pile of crates just tall enough to hide their presence from the scout behind them. Across from it was a wall that looked _very_ unstable; cracks ran through it, and there were even holes in it big enough to see through. Doing just that, Satuxim saw a room with many crates through it. Besides said crates, there was a ledge at the end of the area. Motioning for Iji to stand back, he reared his fist as far back as possible, and let it fly, breaking through the wall with relative ease. The Scout noticed this, of course, and hopped over the crate, yelling a "Stop!" The two ran past the crates, and jumped on to the ledge. There were three more above them, and they repeated the process, trying to literally dodge bullets all of the while. Once they were at the top, Satuxim said, trying to be logical, "What are the odds that we haven't gotten shot once yet? Besides the one that nicked me back in Sector 1, I mean," gesturing to the hole present in the cloth on his shoulder. Borderline unnaturally pale skin was visible underneath. Iji merely shrugged, and the pair walked onwards…


	12. Chapter 11: Supercharge

_Author's Notes: _

Well, there's the first chapter that wasn't daily. The previous one, I mean. I think I'll be updating this a bit more slowly, as there isn't exactly a whole lot of attention on it at the moment…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 11: Supercharge_

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: 3 Cans Later _

A room with even more Cyborg Stations greeted them, as well as another ledge that they could jump up to. A Lift was on the other side of the room, with a very high-reaching ledge beyond it. Satuxim told Iji, "Tell you what. I'll go ahead and jump up there, and explore the area beyond it. You stay he-" He abruptly cut himself, his stance suddenly rigid. "Stand back, Iji. This is going to get more that a little bit messy…" She complied, backing away. A black aura surrounded both of Satuxim arms, and he pounded at the ground. A small tremor rang out, and a large indent was left where he struck, and he hit that spot again, making the crater deeper. Repeatedly doing this, he burrowed into the ground, doing this well over a dozen times until there was actually a hole leading down to the floor they were just on. Satuxim was down there first, and he yelled up to her, "Jump down! I'll catch ya!" Doing so, Satuxim did indeed catch her, grabbing her by the waist with both arms. Setting her down, they were greeted by another one of those big, empowering spheres. "Man, you have _no idea_ how good of an idea it was to make a secret-finding spell and cast it on myself. Does wonders for myself and any current companions of mine… Anyways, found another one of these… _things_! You go first." Iji absorbed part it, Satuxim following up and taking the rest. "Hey, I've just had an idea. How about we call these things _Supercharges_?" Iji tapped her chin, then nodded. "That… actually sounds kind of good. Fitting, too. Yeah, Supercharge it is." Satuxim grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her back up, Satuxim jumping up afterwards. The Scout below them was, rather comically, not aware of their former presence, and just continued meandering about. "So, finishing up on what I said, I'll go up that ledge, and you go up the Lift. Rendezvous back here when you're done, or you feel that you'll get too far ahead for the other person to catch up. Got it?" Iji nodded in affirmation. "Good. Let's go."

Satuxim jumped up the ledge, and Iji went up the Lift, as Satuxim instructed. Seeing how the crates he was standing on slowly sloped downwards, he followed the path. Eventually, he came by a gun with a large clip on the side, and a large barrel. Walking up to it, the object exploded into little cyan spheres, and flew towards Satuxim, thusly assimilating the weapon. Satuxim merely grinned, muttering, "Rocket Launcher…" Resuming his walk down, he noticed a Soldier and a Turret on the floor below. Quieting his steps as much as possible, he took note of how it seemed to lead back to Sector 2's entrance. Grateful for the fact that the Turret wasn't programmed to detect sound, and also for the fact that both humans and Tasen rarely bother to look up for danger, he headed back up, knowing that going down would be rather pointless.

Iji, meanwhile, came to a split in the path when the Lift stopped. Settling on going to her left first, she noticed three Scouts patrolling the general vicinity; one on the platform on the top, and two below it. Seeing the Terminal on the top, and the Security Door to where her right was, she decided on going up first. Climbing up and making her steps as muted as she could, Iji was surprised at how the Scout didn't turn around when she got within a couple of feet. Pressing the bright green button on the Terminal, she jogged back the other way, looking over her back and again noticing just how slow it seemed in the head. Walking to the right now, she came to the now-accessible hallway ahead, and jumped over a table with some crates covering it. She was then greeted by a Scout, a Soldier, and another Commander. A Turret was positioned between the two blue-clad ones. Ducking carefully behind the table, she noticed another few piles of boxes scattered around the room. Using these to her advantage, she sprinted over to the next one when their backs were turned. Repeating this process twice over, she came to a ledge; jumping up to it, there were two glass panes between her and the next room. Seeing no other solution, she kicked both of them down. Immediately noticing the disturbance, the Commander standing on a mound of crates a couple of feet away turned around, shouting to alert the others in the room. Iji ran over and jumped to the next room, just barely doing so in time to avoid being blasted into chucks by the Commander's Rocket Launcher.

Walking up a small incline, she came by a small, white sphere on the ground, labeled 'JUMP'. Walking over and assimilating it, she suddenly felt as if she had a spring in her pace. Noticing a ventilation shaft overhead, she tried getting up to it. She was pleased to find that she could with her now increased jump capabilities, and she continued on to wherever the shaft ended. While doing this, Iji murmured to herself, "Why are these air shafts so big…?" More progress revealed a small Ribbon on the ground, almost exactly the same as the one back in Sector 1. Collecting it and putting it in her pocket, she asked to herself, "What's one of Mia's Ribbons doing up here...?" She then shrugged. "Must've been the rats..." Hopping down from it, a Scout was facing he wall, sitting. "Probably sleeping on the job… Heh…" Noticing the white mist-like substance of a teleporter, she began to walk the other way. A Turret popped up when she got close, however, and it started charging up for a Rocket Launcher shot. Iji managed to kick it down before it had the chance, however, and she walked into the teleporter…


	13. Chapter 12: Tasen Elite

_Author's Notes: _

… Meh. I've got nothing to say here, this time…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 12: Tasen Elite_

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: 3 Cans Later _

Satuxim stumbled backwards, a blinding flash of white appearing not a foot in front of him. Quickly fading away, it revealed Iji standing there, rubbing her eyes with her free hand, apparently dazed by the light as well. "Well, seeing has how you got back here in one piece, and rather quickly at that, I take it that your scouting was a success?" "Yeah, yeah, give me a minute…" she responded, still trying to get her eyes straight. When she was ready, she relayed the information to Satuxim. "Ah. Well, I suppose that the only place left to go would be up that ledge right there. Let us move!" he said in a near yell, sprinting and jumping over to that same ledge, Iji following him after a moment.

Walking up the steps, they saw a crate and a Commander behind it. Amusingly enough, it was sitting down and leaning against it, humming a sort of tune to itself since it evidently had nothing better to do. Satuxim put a finger to him mouth, motioning for the young woman beside her to remain silent. Creeping forward, Satuxim ducked behind the crate. Crawling on top of it, he leapt over, surprising the dozing Commander, before yelling a rather humorous-sounding "_Boo_!" A punch to the head, followed by a resounding _crack_, and the Tasen was now on the floor, unconscious. "_Man_, I love doing that. 'S one of the very few things that never cease to be funny to me…" Iji raised a finger, about to ask a question, but Satuxim beat her to it, "Oh, and I didn't kill this guy, either." Satuxim then snapped his fingers. "Okay, you know what? Whenever I punch or kick somebody, I'll just make sure that I don't do it with lethal force so you won't have to ask about it later. How'zat sound?" Iji nodded her head, a mild blush on her face when she realized how many times she basically asked the exact same question.

At the end of the hallway that they were walking down, there was yet another Lift, and a Security Door just beyond it. Seeing no other reasonable option but to take the Lift upwards, the two rode it to whatever it's destination was. When it came to a halt, another ledge was before them. Jumping up, the two were met with a Turret, and two Scouts on either side of it. Ducking behind the crates, Satuxim gave the 'Ready set go' signal again, and the two were off, weaving in and out of the crates and staying out of sight until they came to yet another lift at the end of the room, going up it before they could notice.

When this Lift came to a halt, what they saw was yet another Security Door to their immediate left, and a Crackable box and a Terminal to the right. Going over to the box, Iji discovered that she couldn't Crack it; she needed a Crack of at least three to do it. Motioning for Satuxim to do it instead, he Cracked it to reveal a Nanofield, Iji walking over and Assimilating it before Cracking the Terminal right next to it, the text appearing overhead reading 'Security Door on Floor 14 opened'. Treading over to the other side of the room, Satuxim Cracked the Door in their way, Dan telling Iji immediately after, "Uh, Iji, you _really_ shouldn't go in there unless you know what you're doing… A Tasen Elite patrols the room beyond, and they're called _Elite_ for a reason." Iji, growing a bit frustrated with his brother's bossiness, and general overprotectiveness, scoffed, "I'll do what I want, okay? I don't need my little brother bossing me around!" Satuxim applauded her, saying, "You tell 'em, woman!" An angry growl ensued from Dan before the nearby com grew silent again. Hopping over to the ledge in front of them, and breaking the glass in the way, a glance down revealed what Dan was warning them about, earlier. A Tasen nearly twice both of their heights was defending the Security Door on the other end of the room. "Hmm… Are you sure we should try this, Iji? We've already opened the Door back there. This is probably completely optional-" But she was already jumping down, wanting to prove that she was strong enough to defend herself without either of the males' aid.

The Elite saw her coming, of course, and the large Nanogun in it's hands began glowing and letting out blue sparks, shouting, "Intruder!" Three large, glowing spheres shot out from it, and Iji did a forward roll, propelling herself closer and dodging them at the same time. The explosives went off at the other end of the room, leaving a rather sizable indent in the wall. Priming her Shotgun and pointing it, she pulled the trigger, making the Elite momentarily flinch before it did the same, using what appeared to be a Machinegun that fired even faster than an ordinary Scout's, or Soldier's. The Nanofield on Iji took all of them in, preventing contact with the skin, but it still knocked her back a bit. The Elite took this opportunity to charge forward, letting out a fierce kick to Iji's stomach, forcing her into the air and knocking the air out of her. She swiftly recovered, though, and tried a kick herself. A message popped into her vision; 'You need a Strength of 9 to damage a Tasen Elite.' Another kick from the Elite later, and she was on the ground, groping her stomach in pain. The Elite's weapon began to glow again, sparking blue at the end of the barrel, and when Iji looked up and noticed this, her eyes widened a bit in fear…

… Before a flash of white and black appeared, hitting the Tasen in the gut, the Nanogun it had in it's possession flying out of it's hand, and it keeled over, feeling not too dissimilar to Iji at the moment. "And not a second too soon!" Satuxim announced, picking Iji up and slinging her over his shoulder, walking over to the Security Door and cracking it before going into the teleporter, vanishing in a flash of white…


	14. Chapter 13: Reality

_Author's Notes:_

Sorry for the slow updates, I guess. Again, there's not much attention going on here, so meh. 'S not exactly a priority for me at the moment…

_Disclaimer: _

_Iji_ belongs to Daniel Remar and his company, Remar Games. I claim no ownership to it, or any references found within this story.

* * *

_Iji: Demimortal_

_Chapter 13: Reality _

* * *

_Iji Soundtrack: 3 Cans Later _

The two were teleported to a small room with a Crackable box on a table, as well as a hole just wide enough for the both of them to slip out of. Satuxim put her down, leaning her against the table, and said, "_Man_, you were in over your head, there. You oughtn't let anger blind your judgment." Iji still clutched her stomach uncomfortably, and shouted at Satuxim, "I could've handled it! Why did you step in!?" Satuxim shook his head, as if lecturing a child, and, waving a finger at her, said, "I was like that, once. Way back when, almost a century ago, I thought that I could handle everything, that I was a _god_. Well… I ran into several near-death situations, one of which actually _did_ end up killing me." Iji gaped a little, and asked, "Then how are you-?" He cut her off. "_Yeah_… Let's just say that I was proven wrong. And you know what? Just because you're now far more powerful than the average human doesn't mean that the Tasen aren't even more so. And maybe later, I'll explain the circumstances behind that scenario. But not now. We've a job to do, remember?" Iji contemplated this for a moment, before nodding and getting up, apparently getting over her pain by the time Satuxim's short monologue was over with.

Cracking the box in front of them revealed a large batch of Machinegun ammunition, not that they could grab it, which reminded Satuxim of something. "Hey, I grabbed a Rocket Launcher earlier. You want it?" That was a rhetorical question; he just grabbed the Nanogun anyways, and it Assimilated the Rocket Launcher he was holding on to. Tossing it back to Iji, he peeked over the hole, and then told Iji, "Well, we're evidently back to the ledge-climbing area. Either that, or we're just in an eerily similar area." Iji grinned a little at the way he described the area. Crawling into the hole and dropping down, the pair hopped over the ledge and began backtracking to the Security Door. On the way, they noticed that the Commander Satuxim knocked out earlier was still out cold, much to the amusement of the perpetrator of the act.

Going through the Door to the now-explorable area, they were greeted by a wall with yet another glass pane to smash blocking the way. Before that, though, there were two Cyborg Stations Iji invested some Points into, as well as another Nanoweapon Station. Requesting to see what they could make now, Satuxim walked over to it and tried all of the combinations that he could. He tried the one and two slots; 'You got the Buster Gun. In essence, a rapid-fire Shotgun that uses Machinegun ammunition.' He also tried one and three; 'You got Spread Rockets. Though the reload time is a bit longer than the normal Rocket Launcher, it fires three Rockets simultaneously at varying angels.' Trying two and three yielded no results, however, as that apparently wasn't a viable combination. He imagined that it'd be a Rocket Launcher with faster reload time, like the Buster Gun.

Handing it back to Iji, he told her, "Oh, I've added a Buster Gun, which is just a Shotgun with faster reload time, and a Rocket Launcher with Spread Rockets to that, as well. Rocket Launcher is self-explanatory, and Spread Rockets is three at once with varying angles. Iji nodded, a bit shocked as to how fast he managed to Crack her the weapons, and also how her inventory of Nanoweapons has practically doubled. Which also begged the question, "Wait, where did you get the Rocket Launcher?" "Oh, you know, about a minute's worth of walking from the top of the crates to where it was _conveniently_ laying and back. Really, though, why are they leaving so many of these things just lying around? Kind of irresponsible, if you ask me…" "… Huh. A-Anyways, moving on…" "Agreed."

Hopping over the ledge and kicking down the Turret immediately facing them, which knocked a Scout out a dozen feet in front of them without killing it, the two hopped down a shaft and were greeted by a Soldier facing the other way, not noticing that there were two people behind it. Silently walking over to the side that the Soldier wasn't on, they came upon an explosive barrel. Motioning for Iji to stand back, he formed a magical barrier around himself, and punched the barrel, blowing a hole in the wall and revealing a secret passage, as it may have well been. This went unnoticed by the Soldier on the platform above, and it ran over, only to reveal no-one there. Grumbling to itself about those 'damned Crackers,' it went back to lousing around.

Descending the stairs into the room, they came upon a small window, and, to the left there was a small, cyan display. Walking over to it revealed a kill-count, of what they weren't sure of yet. Glancing out the window revealed a large flock of birds, flitting around it for no evident reason. Motioning for Iji to hand over the Nanogun, he used the Machinegun to try shooting one of the birds. One that was done with, he walked over to the display and saw that his kill-count had increased by one. "Yeah, just tracks your kills for the birds outside. Oh, and you may want to check this poster over here out, as well." Iji did as he asked, and she muttered, "Apparently specifications of my Nanofield… Hidden Skills… What are those about…?" She then pushed aside a strand of her hair, and ran a finger along the base of her neck, feeling a small lump on it. A bead of sweat then ran along her face. "What's wrong, Iji?" A brief moment of silence, and then, "Oh… Nothing, really." Satuxim shrugged, and walked over to the display. Since it was serving no actual purpose, he decided to go ahead and Crack it, just for the heck of it. Once he was done, it read, 'Cracked by Satuxim. Raise your Security!' Seeing nothing else present in the room besides these items, Satuxim motioned for Iji to leave with him.

Seeing the wide chasm beneath them, Satuxim asked Iji to get on his back. Using his wings, the two descended slowly, preventing any would-be fall damage. Walking over and punching a hole through the Shield Door to their immediate left, the two came by a Soldier resting against a crate, seemingly sleeping on the job. "_Man_, these Tasen must be bored _witless_ if the only entertainment they can find is in their _dreams_." He whispered to Iji. She barely managed to suppress a snicker, and Satuxim walked over to the box and Cracked it open, revealing what appeared to be a green, rectangular container for them to grab. "Probably some type of ammunition," Satuxim said idly. Now walking to the right, they came by yet another box, this one revealing another large chunk of Machinegun ammunition. "Actually… Wait. Let me try something, here. Don't want this to go to waste…" He picked up the bullets, and tossed them into his mouth. A couple of seconds later, he opened his mouth, and they came flying back out. "Well, good to see _that_ worked. Now we won't have to waste _piles_ upon _piles_ of ammo!" Iji looked a little queasy, and Satuxim quickly added, "Oh, yes, and I don't have any innards, so it hasn't gone through anything, nor is it covered in digestive fluids and/or saliva. You _may_ feel a little bit of magical static, though. Just a _little_." He put it back in 'storage', as it were, and the two moved on.

_Iji Soundtrack – Hade Shade_

Coming by a ladder, evidently reaching up to the surface, judging by the light, Iji said, "Hey, there's a balcony up there…" Dan's voice spoke out, "Iji, _don't go up there_." Huh? Why not?" "Because. You're not ready for what's up there yet." "Dan, Iji has a right to know," Satuxim disagreed, taking a surprisingly serious tone to Dan. "She'll have to know eventually, anyways. Might as well just get it over with now." A brief moment of silence from the microphones, and then a disgruntled response from Dan, "… Fine." Satuxim nodded, and gestured for Iji to climb up the ladder. Doing so, she reached the surface and took in a breath of… well, not really fresh air, but outside air, for the first time in over half a year. She smiled a little bit, even if it smiled positively vile out here, until she looked up. What she saw made her gape in shock; "N… No… They're… He… He said there was only _one_… Oh, no…"


End file.
